104

CHAP.

XIX.

HISTORY OF ENGLAND.

and mutinous; and now prosperity and glory brought out his•vices in full strength. AVith the government which he hadsaved he took all the liberties of an insolent- servant whobelieves himself to be necessary, treated the orders of hissuperiors with contemptuous levity, resented reproof, howevergentle, as an outrage, furnished no plan of his own, andshowed a sullen determination to execute no plan furnished byany body else. To Nottingham he had a strong and a verynatural antipathy. They were indeed an ill matched pair.Nottingham was a Tory: Russell was a AAHiig. Nottinghamwas a speculative seaman, confident in his theories: Russellwas a practical seaman, proud of his achievements. Thestrength of Nottingham lay in speech: the strength of Russelllay in action. Nottingham’s demeanour was decorous even toformality: Russell was passionate and rude. Lastly Notting-ham was an honest man; and Russell was a villain. They nowbecame mortal enemies. The Admiral sneered at the Secretary’signorance of naval affairs: the Secretary accused the Admiralof sacrificing the public interests to mere wayward humour;and both w r ere in the right.*

AATiile they were wrangling, the merchants of all the portsin the kingdom raised a cry against the naval administration.The victory of which the nation was so proud was, in the City,pronounced to have been a positive disaster. During somemonths before the battle all the maritime strength of the enemyhad been collected in two great masses, one in the Mediter-ranean and one in the Atlantic. There had consequently beenlittle privateering; and the voyage to New England or Jamaicahad been almost as safe as in time of peace. Since the battle,

* Evelyn’s Diary, July 25. 1G92; Burnet, ii. 94, 95., and Lord Dart-mouth’s Note. The history of the quarrel between Kussell and Nottingham■will be best learned from the Parliamentary Journals and Debates of theSession of IC9|.